Summary: In flashbacks, Jack prepares to get married to Sarah, a woman who he miraculously saved in a surgery. Christian helps him subdue his doubts by telling him he will commit easily but won't be able to let go. They get married. In the present, Jack works hard to save Boone whose condition continues deteriorating. Jack prepares to amputate Boone's leg but Sun points out he is bleeding internally. Jack eventually gives up on Boone after an internal struggle and Boone dies. Meanwhile, Claire goes into labour and Kate, Jin and Charlie work together to ensure the birth is successful. Sayid and Shannon go on a date, and upon returning they learn of Boone's death. Jack angrily goes after Locke who he suspects to have killed Boone.
The Good: This is a really strong episode. Hospital drama episodes usually don't do a whole lot for me, but this one felt special. A combination of Jack's desperation, my emotional investment in the story, and the frenetic pacing made me enjoy this a whole lot, creating an extremely tense and emotional episode. I really enjoyed everything Jack did, as Matthew Fox brilliantly portrayed his emotional instability, adding another layer of tension to an already tense plot. The episode consistently gives us scenes with high drama. So many moments stood out, like Jack putting Boone's leg back in place, and the dramatic ending as Jack goes after Locke. I was also surprised by the ending where Boone actually dies. Most shows would only dedicate an entire episode to this if the victim survives, so it is quite a surprise when it sinks in that Boone is going to die. The episode does a terrific job of making this death mean something and feel like a massive moment in the story. Despite Boone's death being such a pivotal moment of the show, the episode is all about Jack. Though it may seem awkward to put the focus away from Boone in his final episode, this actually works stunningly well. This is actually the first time that we have seen Jack in a high-stress position where he is attempting to save a life. Just like in "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues", this episode does a fantastic job of showing the rougher parts of Jack's character, putting the spotlight on the flaws in Jack's character. We get to see first-hand that Jack has huge issues with letting go, as he tries to save Boone's life far past the point where he should have decided that Boone was too far gone. Without Sun there to keep Jack in line, who knows how much damage Jack could have done trying to save Boone's life? In particular, Jack's attempt to amputate Boone's leg was particularly horrific, especially after there was sufficient proof that Boone would die anyways. This story rhymes with the flashback story too. We see a pattern of Jack refusing to give up on things that have already gone past the point of no return. On the island it's Boone, and in the flashbacks it's his relationship with Sarah, which we know is doomed due to the fact that Jack isn't married anymore in the present. The flashbacks have some great scenes to highlight this. The best example is Jack's conversation with Christian, who accurately pinpoints the big flaw in Jack's character: he can easily commit to things, but when it comes to letting go of things, he is completely hopeless. We have seen Jack's inability to let go time and time again (his desperation to catch Ethan, his decision to turn in his father, his inability to get over the fact that he left Joanna die, etc.), and this episode focuses completely on that character trait. The other half of the episode is pretty strong too. Claire's labour is handled well, plus it gives Kate, Charlie and Jin some important things to do. I really appreciated that the episode spliced Boone's death with Claire's baby's birth, giving the episode a wonderful emotional climax that concludes both of the episode's main storylines in spectacular fashion. Some other small things pleased me. The side characters were given a lot to do, leading to tons of great character interactions. Sun was a standout as she acts like the voice of reason to Jack who continuously gives in to his worst impulses. I also really liked the brief encounter between Sun and Jin who continued their conflict in a nice way. Sayid and Shannon had decent scenes together which culminated nicely in Shannon learning about Boone's death. Sawyer, Hurley and Michael all had small roles as well which I appreciated. Lastly, I enjoyed the cameo of Marc Silverman (from "White Rabbit") at the beginning of the episode. That scene also had a classic "Lost" twist with the surprise reveal that is was Jack getting married not Marc. The Bad: This episode could have easily scored an 80 on paper. The episode is intense and exciting featuring some tremendous character work for Jack, as well as a major character death that has a huge impact on the show. But there is one issue that hangs over the episode that prevents it from getting an 80. The issue is that of tone. The tone on the island is scary as intense as we have Jack scrambling to save Boone's life while Claire is forced to give birth alone in the jungle. But off the island we have... Jack getting happily married? The tonal shift is extremely noticeable and it takes me out of the episode quite a bit. Had this episode been more consistent with its tone, it would have been a lot better. The Unknown: What happened with Jack's marriage? Why is he no longer married? I was intrigued by some recurring lines of dialogue. Jack uses Locke's signature line, while Boone lets Jack off the hook just like Rose did back in "Walkabout". I'm not sure if there is significance to this, but there does seem like there should be a reason for some lines to be noticeably reused. What is Claire's baby going to be named? I hope he gets a name soon since calling him "Claire's baby" is going to get old quick. What did Boone want to tell Shannon for his last words. Was there something he actually wanted to tell her, or was it just to give him a dramatic final line? Boone mentions some vague things about the hatch to Jack. How much did Jack correctly interpret from Boone's words? What does he think Locke has been up to? Does he actually think Locke killed Boone to silence him, or is it just another case of Jack having a bad emotional reaction? Best Moment: Boone's death mixed with Claire's baby being born is an excellent sequence that delivers on emotion. Character of the Episode: Jack. Conclusion: This episode does so much right, and it produces some of the best drama of the show so far. Furthermore, we get a fantastic character death to close things out, making this episode important and memorable. The only flaw is in the tone, but aside from that this is more outstanding storytelling. Score: 79
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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